Friendly fruit is ripe and ready!

The harvest season has arrived here in the Friendly neighborhood. Early pears (like the above Ubilene), plums, and early apples are ripe. There are 27 neighborhood sites registered with the Friendly Fruit Tree Project so far, and 77 interested harvesters. However, there are only 5 volunteers to coordinate the fruit harvests. More folks are needed! You can get oriented to what's involved in being a harvest leader by coming by this Saturday Aug 6 from 10-11am, see below.

Upcoming harvests

Want to help out, take home some fruit, and meet a neighbor? If you are signed up for the Friendly Fruit Harvester group, you will be emailed about future fruit harvests. Not signed up yet, or not sure? You can sign up to be a harvester here.

More harvest leaders are needed! Learn more about what is involved with leading a harvest here, then sign up here to be a harvest leader. After an informal orientation, you will get to choose from a number of fruits in need of adoption. One orientation will be Saturday Aug 6 from 10-11am, during a small harvest of Asian pears. Email info@friendlyfruittreeproject.org for the location (note: there is not much fruit to share at this one, but it will give an idea of what is involved).

Cider pressing

A cider press is reserved for a couple weeks in September, thanks to our neighborhood tool library. Some tentative dates for the cider pressing: Sunday Sept 4, and Sunday Sept 25, both from 2-4pm. Check the FFTP website or Facebook to confirm as the date gets closer. The cider press looks to be available at times in August, so if there are enough apples about to be harvested we can borrow it a third time in August. Learn more about the Toolbox Project here.

Got fruit?

Register your own fruit, it's easy to do online, here. Notice a neighbor with fruit? Encourage them to register their fruit too! You can leave them a note, just print it from here.

DIY fruit donations

If you have fruit falling and want to just harvest it yourself and drop it off somewhere, there are many local organizations that would welcome the donation. WildCraft Cider Works, a local business promoting a community apple drive, is one example. Other organizations include non-profits Opportunity Village, Community Supported Shelters, Occupy Medical, and Food for Lane County. Other easy options include putting a box of fruit at the curb with a "Help Yourself" sign, or for trees by the street or sidewalk just hang a sign saying "Harvest Me!".

Friendly Fruit Tree Project now on Facebook

Get this information any way you like! Posts will be both emailed and put on Facebook. See the Facebook page, here.

Where does the fruit go?

980 pounds of fruit has been donated so far with the Friendly Fruit Tree Project. Where did it go? See below...

Rare fruit trees are available

The Friendly Fruit Tree Project has a small collection of rare fruit varieties available. Trees are not yet 2-years old now, in 1-gallon pots, grafted on semi-dwarf rootstock by pros at the 2015 Lane Propagation Fair. See the list here. Suggested donation of $15 includes optional planting help. Help keep these rare varieties from being lost, and support local fruit production!